More selective than 48% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $54,730. College Scorecard.
Higher than 90% of Illinois colleges we cover and 87% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 75% of Illinois colleges we cover and 82% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Bradley University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 10,138 applicants, Bradley University admitted 7,772 and 833 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Bradley University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Bradley University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Bradley University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,269 | $73,221 | 2.4 years |
| $30–48k | $16,539 | $70,125 | 2.3 years |
| $48–75k | $18,609 | $78,902 | 2.5 years |
| $75–110k | $22,954 | $97,325 | 3.1 years |
| $110k+ | $30,008 | $127,234 | 4.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (57% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($66,852) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $31,055 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Bradley University majors, earnings & careers
Bradley University offers 81 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 15
- Engineering · 11
- Humanities & Languages · 11
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Science & Math · 9
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Communications & Media · 5
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 3
Highest-earning majors at Bradley University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $107,379 | $27,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $100,391 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $95,896 | $27,000 |
| Industrial Engineering | $89,362 | $25,788 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | $88,690 | $27,000 |
| Nursing | $86,941 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $83,801 | $27,000 |
| Construction Engineering | $82,309 | — |
Quick list of all 81 majors
- Accounting$80,877
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$42,006
- Business Administration$73,110
- Business Economics—
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$83,801
- Communications—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$107,379
- Construction Engineering$82,309
- Construction Management—
- Criminal Justice$58,636
- Data Analytics—
- Dietetics—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,460
- Education (Subject Teaching)$48,325
- Electrical Engineering$100,391
- Engineering—
- Engineering Physics—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences Business Services$56,489
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$77,976
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$60,888
- Graphic Communications$37,657
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$67,735
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities—
- History—
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Resources—
- Industrial Engineering$89,362
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Information Science / Studies—
- Information Technology—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Journalism—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Literature—
- Management Information Systems$74,883
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Manufacturing Engineering$88,690
- Marketing$76,255
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$95,896
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Nursing$86,941
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$57,832
- Psychology$64,378
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising$58,515
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work$53,715
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Telecommunications Management—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Peoria
Overall prices in the Peoria, IL area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,212. Housing costs 36% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 40 inches of rain a year, 26 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Peoria County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Peoria County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Bradley University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley University | 77% | $22,719 | 76% | $66,852 | This school |
| Elmhurst University | 74% | $24,185 | 70% | $61,462 | |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 77% | $49,790 | 67% | $40,151 | |
| Lewis University | 71% | $17,028 | 67% | $66,099 | |
| North Central College | 77% | $21,044 | 64% | $60,123 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Bradley University would cost you $1,466 less per year than Elmhurst University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Bradley University, mostly from more Elmhurst University students living at home, which lowers its average (+$2,364).
- Bradley University gives aided families $1,517 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Bradley University | Elmhurst University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $42,160 | $42,955 | −$795 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,240 | −$40 |
| Housing & meals | $12,850 | $11,858 | +$992 |
| Personal & travel | $2,240 | $4,710 | −$2,470 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,720 | −$6,084 | +$2,364 |
| Sticker price | $54,730 | $54,679 | +$51 |
| Average grants | −$32,011 | −$30,494 | −$1,517 |
| You pay | $22,719 | $24,185 | −$1,466 |
“+” means Bradley University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Bradley University
What is the Bradley University acceptance rate?
Bradley University accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,772 of 10,138 applicants were admitted.
How much does Bradley University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $54,730 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,719 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,269 and families earning $110k+ pay $30,008.
How much do Bradley University graduates earn?
Former Bradley University students earn a median $66,852 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Bradley University graduation rate?
76% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year.
How long does a Bradley University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Bradley University costs about $78,902 after grants ($18,609 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $66,852 ten years after starting, $31,055 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Bradley University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/bradley-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).